KIRKUS REVIEW

When given the space and time he
needs to acclimate, a young bear learns to love all the new things about
school.

Bear is reluctant about his first
day of school, especially since so many things are new and different from the
way he usually does them. “Not this bear” is his refrain, as he’s his own bear.
Everyone else may have hung their jackets in the closet and donned smocks for
painting, but “not this bear”; his jacket-cum–security blanket is soon
forgotten in the fun of painting, however. Though “All the bears like to sit on
a mat to listen to a story,” Bear feels that a lap is the best place for a
tale. He makes do, though, by choosing a mat and finding a stuffed bunny to sit
in his lap. Similarly, he enjoys snack time (though Mama makes the best
snacks), plays, and finds a friend on the playground. And when Mr. Brown asks,
“Are you ready to go home, Bear?” readers will chime right in with his response
and might even look forward to their own first days of school. Hussey’s
watercolor illustrations capture all Bear’s feelings as he goes from anxiety to
confidence and enjoyment, the tilt of his ears and his inward-pointing toes
speaking volumes.

A reassuring book to share with just
about any set-in-his-ways child. (Picture book. 3-6)

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